World premiere of 'King Arthur's Camelot' is the centerpiece of Cincinnati Ballet's 50th anniversary season

Honor, valor, love, betrayal — these are
the thematic elements of Cincinnati Ballet artistic director and CEO
Victoria Morgan’s full-length world premiere, King Arthur’s Camelot,
opening this weekend with five performances at the Aronoff Center.

Cincinnati Ballet closes its 50th anniversary season with local music heroes Over the Rhine

Over the Rhine, the bluesy, jazzy, folksy
band headed by blonde chanteuse Karin Bergquist and real-life partner
Linford Detweiler, named after Cincinnati’s historic Over-the-Rhine
neighborhood where they once lived, this weekend will perform live with
Cincinnati Ballet dancers in the closing series of the company’s 50th
anniversary season.

What do the Cincinnati Ballet, Jungle Jim’s and the YWCA have in common? Last month, an Ohio court upheld a ruling that the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation has been overcharging these and thousands of other businesses and organizations in the state. Meanwhile, the BWC cut rates for other employers who were part of preferred groups, Ohio’s 8th District Appellate Court said.Now an advocacy organization is pushing for the BWC to pay back the difference. While the ins and outs of the rates are complicated, the underlying concept is fairly straightforward: Worker’s compensation functions as a kind of insurance for employers. If an employee gets hurt on the job, worker’s comp will pay for lost wages and medical costs so long as the business is current on its monthly workers comp payment. A lawsuit brought by some employers receiving higher rates charged that those rates were unfair, even forcing some employers into bankruptcy. The courts have agreed. The appellate court’s decision upholds an earlier ruling against the BWC by the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.The courts ruled the BWC, along with lobbyists of some favored businesses, rigged workers compensation rates so that some companies picked to be designated “group rate employers” received what the court called “excessive, undeserved premium discounts” on their workers compensation insurance plans. Where did the money for those discounts come from? According to the court, from businesses who were not part of the special group rate. Those businesses paid almost $860 million extra on their workers compensation plans. BWC hasn’t started paying back the money, and head Steven Buehner told a Cleveland news outlet last week that the agency will appeal the ruling to the Ohio Supreme Court. It has until June 30 to do so.Buehner says the agency’s rates simply reflect the nature of providing insurance — that low-risk customers receive lower rates than higher-risk clients. Buehner said there isn’t some big pot of money somewhere that the BWC is sitting on and that it hasn’t cheated anyone out of any funds. If the court’s ruling holds, the BWC will owe more than 100 Cincinnati-area employers $100,000 or more, including a number of nonprofits and arts organizations. All told, the BWC could owe area businesses more than $100 million. Progress Ohio, an advocacy group, has asked Gov. John Kasich to act and make sure the BWC pays the money back.According to Progress Ohio, which is advocating for the employers in question, the BWC could owe the Cincinnati Ballet more than $300,000, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park nearly $150,000 and the Cincinnati YMCA $140,000. BAE, a British-owned security and armaments business with a plant in Fairfield, is the area employer owed the largest amount of money; according to the advocacy organization, the BWC charged BAE more than $1.4 million extra in premiums. The Cincinnati YWCA is also owed payback — about $14,000. The organization told WCPO earlier this week it will be "thrilled" to get that money back so it can use it to help women and children in need.

Beelistic Tattoo
on Short Vine presents its second annual
Holiday Art Show Friday. The exhibit features works by local and national
tattoo artists on sale for $25 or less. In addition to browsing artwork, guests
can enjoy free craft cocktails and book future tattoo appointments. Bring a
donation of toys, clothing, books or $5 to benefit the Children’s Home of
Cincinnati.
The festive fun continues
along Short Vine with more art on display at Gallery 77, Popp=d Art and
Bogart’s, drink specials at Dive Bar, shopping at Vursa Limited, music at Mio’s
Pizzeria and more. Beelistic’s party kicks off at 5 p.m. and continues until
midnight (or until the art sells out).
Rabbit Hash’s annual
Christmas Parade takes place Saturday at 4 p.m. Cajun Jazz group Lagniappe will
inject a little Southern flair at the holiday party that follows. Swing by the
General Store, drink a little something to warm you up and frolic with the
famous Rabbit Hash dogs!
Former Cincinnati Ballet
members Joseph Gatti and Adiarys Almeida return to the city and company for
holiday classic The Nutcracker. This
family-friendly production opens Friday, runs all weekend and continues through
Dec. 29. Read our interview with the couple here.
Nothing says happy holidays
like a booze cruise! Enjoy some of Greater Cincinnati’s finest — from beer to
views — on the Christian Moerlein Brew Ho Ho Ho Dinner Cruise Saturday. Attendees
will board the boat at 6 p.m. and set sail from BB Riverboats 7-9:30 p.m. The
night includes a four-beer tasting, buffet, music from a live DJ and a souvenir
Moerlein pint glass. Adult tickets are $55, $26 for sightseeing only. Book the
cruise here.
Enjoy a Christmas Carol-inspired brunch this Sunday
at Orchids at Palm Court’s Dickens Brunch. English favorites like roast beef
with Yorkshire pudding, mince meat pie and figgy pudding accompany brunch
classics, including an omelet and waffle bar. Sunday is the last chance to try
the Dickens Brunch, which runs 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Find more information here.
For more art
openings, parties and other stuff to do this weekend, check out our To Do picks,
full calendar and Rick
Pender’s Stage
Door for weekend theater offerings.

Ever heard of freelance dancing?
Independent ballet dancers Joseph Gatti and Adiarys Almeida — formerly
of the Cincinnati Ballet — stepped out as free agents this past July,
following five years of contracts with some illustrious international
companies.

According to the
plethora of holiday shopping commercials (which started airing before freaking
Halloween), we’re apparently expected to have already begun buying gifts for
the upcoming season. If you want to get a head start on shopping without
supporting big box stores, check out The City Flea Small Mall at 21c Museum
Hotel this Sunday. The popular urban flea market goes indoors from noon-6 p.m.,
bringing favorite independent businesses under one roof — and a really cool
roof at that. Shop Casablanca Vintage, Indigenous, Mustard Seed Boutique,
Powerhouse Factories, It’s Only Fair and other great local and regional
businesses, without the stress of driving around town. Find a full list of
vendors here.The Greater
Cincinnati Holiday Market features a more traditional, Christmas-y experience
at Duke Energy Convention Center. From Friday through Sunday, the market will
open with more than 100 holiday displays from local and national retailers with
a focus on gifts, ornaments, specialty food and décor. Along with the market is
a Specialty Food and Treats Show featuring delicious demos and workshops form
local chefs, restaurants and businesses. Santa even makes a daily appearance!
Go here for more details.
Memorial Hall
kicks off its first Signature Series of performances, art, food and drink
Friday night with An Evening of the Classics. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with a
reception and open bar followed by the world premiere of Entwined: An Artistic Sensory Experience at 8 p.m. Violinist Tatiana
Berman performs with Irina Botan on piano accompanied by digital animation.
There will also be performances by Cincinnati Ballet Second Company and School
for Creative and Performing Arts musicians, art from Solway Galleries, and food
tastings from Jean-Robert de Cavel, Jimmy Gibson and Jeff Thomas. Tickets are
$40 and can be purchased here.
Join in one of the
classiest bike events of the year with the Cincinnati Tweed Ride.
This Saturday, ladies and gents dressed in their most dapper attire will meet
at the National Steamboat Monument at Mehring Way and Broadway at 4 p.m. Prizes
will be awarded for Best Male Attire, Best Female Attire, Best Mustache and Best
Hat. All chaps and lasses are welcome to grab dinner and drinks and Moerlein
Lager House after the ride.
The Cincinnati
Museum Center continues its Passport to the World Series with Latin American
Culture Fest Saturday and Sunday. Families will learn about Día de los Muertos,
Carnival, the geography of Latin America and the various cultures and
traditions of its countries. Features include a marketplace, art display,
lectures, performances and lots of exhibits. Go here
for ticket information and details.For more art openings, parties and other stuff to do
this weekend, check out our To Do picks,
full calendar and Rick
Pender’s Stage
Door for weekend theater offerings.

It’s perhaps the most iconic dance segment in the world-famous 19th-century ballet Swan Lake.
It begins in Act II, when enchanted swan maidens, costumed in pristine
white tutus, enter a moonlit lakeside scene one by one in what’s often
been called the greatest possible accomplishment for a corps de ballet.